Scientists working for the National Park Service released a draft report saying that up to 10% of the world's mature giant sequoia trees might have been destroyed by the Castle fire in California.
The fire burned from August until December 2020 and consumed approx 175,000 acres of parkland.
While the dataset is preliminary and the research paper hasn't yet been peer-reviewed, the scientists estimate between 7,500 and 10,000 mature giant sequoias were decimated.
While the dataset is preliminary and the research paper hasn't yet been peer-reviewed, the scientists estimate between 7,500 and 10,000 mature giant sequoias were decimated.
The trees, known for being the largest in the world, only grow in a small area of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range and actually depend on low-intensity fires to release their seeds from cones.
However, climate change and a history of fire suppression in the area have created hotter, drier conditions and an over-abundance of dead leaves and timber. This has resulted in a tinderbox environment, which has led to more high-intensity wildfires that are difficult to control
'I cannot overemphasize how mind-blowing this is for all of us. These trees have lived for thousands of years. They've survived dozens of wildfires already,' Christy Brigham, chief of resources management and science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, told The Guardian
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